Moonlight on the Palms by Lisa Greer

Title: Moonlight on the Palms
Author: Lisa Greer
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: June 20th 2011
Source: Lisa Greer

★★★

Three stars.

I'm somewhat disappointed in this book. I've read work by this author before, & enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of this one.

Astrid Kent must return to her childhood home in Texas after the death of her mother, & she hasn't been there since she left for college (and for good reason too!). While working on things such as the inheritance, Juan -a boyfriend who left her heartbroken- reenters her life, & despite all of the warnings she gives herself, she finds it hard to stay away. Her stress level & worry only intensifies when she meets a local artist named Manfred who is just as captivating, though in all of the opposite ways from Juan. Though she feels an attraction to both, words from her late mother keep resounding in her head- trust no one.

The first ninety percent of this book was well written. The characters were well thought out, the language was descriptive. It was a fairly quick read with a steady plot, & I liked the premise.

However, in the last twenty pages or so, the book fell apart for me. The climax was intended to shock, but for me it just seemed completely random. I actually had to go back & reread what happened, because I thought I missed something in this final, rapid race to the end. I could have lived with that plot twist though, had it not ended the way it did. It only made me dislike Astrid & made me wished that she hadn't been saved from the story's danger.

All in all, this book was okay. Not amazing, not horrible. I'm extremely torn on my opinion, since I did like a lot of this book, but hated the end. My final opinion: Read it for yourself. I give it a neutral three out of five, because the bad counters the good